I think you're asking for a wounded and lost animal. Pigs can have a thick, touch gristle shield on their forequarters. Doubt the .40 would penetrate it with enough energy to humanely kill the pig. You ought to go with a .44 Mag and on up. Just my opinion, you might get away with it but not a good idea. .45 isn't a significant change. Don

I was afraid the 40 wasn't going to be enough to take a hog down. The last thing I want to do is make it suffer by a shot that's not enough to kill it or worse off, piss the hog off. Sounds like I am going to have to invest in a 44 mag.

If you are very selective of your shot, I think a .40 S&W would be ok. Just keep your range to under 30 yards, and take only broadside and slightly angling away shots. Use a good load like a gold dot or the Winchester Talon.

I know folks who have taken feral hogs using a 9mm out of a Browning Hi-Power with no problems. They are selective in their shot selection, and place their shots with care.

Are the gold dot and Winchester Talon hollowpoints? If they are I assumed that would be the worst thing to shot a hog with because the bullet would expand on contact with the extremely thick hide of the hog.

10mm or bigger, however a friend of mine's sister was along with him hog hunting on his property, she neglected to remove the safety on her shotgun, or maybe it misfired. When the hog came at her and the long gun went "click" she dropped it, yanked out her (used to be mine) Bersa Thunder .380 and hit it with five rounds. It dropped in it's tracks. Weighed somewhere in the 150-200 pound range I think? Second hand so the details may be off, but she did kill it with a .380 since it's what she had.

i wouldn't take anything under a .44/.45 ACP/.45 Colt unless it was a 10mm. Preferably a shotgun slug or rifle.

Proper placement with the 40 S&W and 170 gr bullets will work OK. I know people that use 9mm or 38 special who have told me they won't use a 357 as it destroys too much meat. These folks are out meat hunting (relatively younger and smaller hogs)not trophy hunting though.

For me a 357 or 44 mag is the way to go, but if I took a pistol it would be a 40 maybe a 45+P if I had to.

Glock Talk is the #1 site to discuss the world’s most popular pistol, chat about firearms, accessories and more. As our membership continues to grow we look forward to reading your stories and learning from your experiences. Membership is free and we welcome all types of shooters, whether you're a novice or a pro. Come for the info, stay and make some friends..